I Abandoned the Male Lead Who Cheated with the Villainess - Chapter 88
‧₊˚ ☁️⋅♡𓂃 ࣪ ִֶָ☾.
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‘This is murder.’
Yes, this was clearly murder. Celestia was committing murder.
But that wasn’t the only problem.
“Did you say everyone is smarter than you in some way?”
Celestia’s swamp-colored hair flowed like seaweed underwater. Despite her beautiful but cold white face, she exuded only fear and revulsion.
“So you said not to become arrogant, not to judge others carelessly, not to be conceited?”
Celestia took a step forward. Ivonne almost stepped back, as Celestia had just moments ago. She barely managed to hold her ground by pressing down on her heels.
“You are indeed an ancient wizard. But you’re still alone.”
The problem with Celestia using forbidden magic was that she now possessed the magic power of everyone she had killed. She already had a considerable amount herself, and now she had added the magic of dozens of others.
‘There could be other wizards here.’
In a country known for its magic, wizards were common, and they always trained to acquire more magic power.
In a one-on-one fight between Ivonne and Celestia, Ivonne would have won easily. But against Celestia, who had absorbed the magic of many others through forbidden magic, the outcome was uncertain.
Ivonne decided she had to protect at least those behind her.
‘Rix, who came in response to my message, and the civilians I brought to expose Celestia, are innocent.’
But before she could cast a large-scale barrier spell, Celestia, sensing her intention, acted first.
“You said books are other people’s lives. Then why don’t you try saving these actual lives and die once!”
Ahahaha! Her laughter was sharp and harsh, like a witch’s. Celestia raised her hands high, as if offering the stolen magic to a god.
Flash! ……Boom!
As if in response to her, lightning struck from the clear sky. The air was filled with the sound of thunder, and the world, flashing white repeatedly, seemed close to ending. Some of the people fleeing in panic were nearly struck by the lightning.
“No!”
If Ivonne hadn’t acted quickly to save them, it would have been truly dangerous. Amidst the pouring thunderstorm, she extended a wide barrier to protect as many people as possible.
“Save us!”
“Ahh, save me!”
“Dear god, please!”
Many huddled within Ivonne’s barrier, clutching each other, crying, and praying fervently to the goddess Novnie.
“Stay within the barrier! It’s dangerous outside!”
The thunderstorm raged on. Fierce rain and wind accompanied by continuous lightning strikes fell without pause. Ivonne struggled to protect them, but some people clearly couldn’t hear her voice.
“Don’t leave the barrier!”
Rix also shouted to help Ivonne, but it seemed his voice didn’t reach the terrified crowd. Even if Ivonne had amplified her voice magically to be heard beyond the capital, it wouldn’t have been enough to calm their frozen hearts.
In the end, some who fled the barrier lost their lives.
“Ahahaha, hahahaha!”
Seeing this, Celestia laughed maniacally. She was euphoric, as if the relentless lightning strikes she summoned were divine blessings.
It was then that one of the blind strikes, ripping through the sky, aimed for a child pushed outside the barrier by terrified adults.
“Gasp, no…!”
Ivonne reached out desperately to protect the child, but it was too late.
“Aaaaah!”
The mother’s heart-wrenching scream overpowered the sound of the falling lightning. The world seemed to mock the idea that a mother’s embrace could shield against all life’s storms, as the child’s charred and lifeless body grew cold.
“Ha….”
Ivonne bit her lip, trembling as she watched. She could barely catch her breath, unable to utter a word. Celestia approached her, saying,
“You powerless commoner.”
Her face, wet with rain, was filled with a smile. Despite having taken many lives to gather power and using that power to claim even more lives, she appeared radiant.
“Look, you ended up doing nothing. Did you tell me not to be arrogant? But it seems the one who was truly arrogant was you, not me, relying solely on your title as an ancient wizard!”
The words ‘powerless commoner’ pierced Ivonne’s heart like countless daggers. The pain tore through her heart, leaving her unable to even shed tears. The deaths she couldn’t prevent felt entirely her fault, and the suffering of the child whose life was snatched away moments ago weighed heavily on her.
Yet, Ivonne knew the truth.
Failing to protect is a tragedy, but it is not a sin. The enemy of those who lost their lives is not the one who failed to protect them, but the one who took them.
This knowledge didn’t soothe her heart, nor did it alleviate her guilt, but Ivonne knew.
For every person wandering lost, there is another who knows exactly where they are going.
